Moments in between
by Zadien
Summary: When a simple mission goes wrong, Levy finds herself under the protection of Gajeel, one of the Inquisition's fiercest warriors, with a penchant for fighting everything bigger than himself - and since he believes Levy is his good luck charm, she'll have quite the job keeping him from throwing himself recklessly into battle. If she and Gajeel survive this Age, it'll be a miracle.
1. Run!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fairy Tail. I don't own Dragon Age: Inquisitions either. Both are amazing though.

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><p><strong>A.N.<strong> Edited to include Cana as Inquisitor, not Lucy because it suits Cana better.

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><p><span><strong>Run!<strong>

Levy swept her cloak back and closed her spyglass against her thigh as she stepped back from the edge of the cliff. Pulling out her map, she bit her lip. It indicated a camp seven and a half furlongs away, and she was nearly certain she could see the signs of the abandoned bedroll and propped up tent. Hopefully there would be something there, a scroll or a tome that might hold some information about beating Zeref but now she had to reach it. So far as she could see the land was quiet, not a creature stirred, but that didn't mean she could be afford to be reckless. She was on an important mission for the Inquisition, and she was the best at her job.

She folded up the map, placed both it and the spy glass in her satchel, and hopped down from the ledge, her boots planting firmly on the soft grass. A light breeze whipped up, pushing at her face, stirring her hair and lifting the hem of her blue cloak and tunic.

Clicking her tongue, Levy strode down the slight incline and smiled fondly as her faithful horse, Droy, plodded to her, with the ginger form of Jet nipping at his heels.

"Jet," she warned, wagging a finger at the dog, as she tucked her blue hair behind her delicately pointed ears with her free hand, "stop annoying Droy and keep an eye out for bears."

The Inquisitor, and her party, had cleared out the bandits from the Wildlands, placing it under the their protection, but bears and other natural predators often ignored those little banners and prowled the Wildlands, attacking unexpecting travellers. She didn't want to hurt a bear — even though Elfman, the stable manager, told her to bring back fresh bear meat because it apparently tasted good — but she would protect herself. She didn't expect much danger; after all, the Inquisition were particularly good at their jobs.

And because it was calm, Mirajane, their spymistress extraordinaire, had given Levy the all clear to take her companions and search for any tomes, letters, or scrolls that might offer some information on combatting Zeref or explain what he sought. If anything Levy could glean could help the Inquisitor, then she was happy to help — and if she happened to gather some herbs for Wendy while she was on her quest, then all the better.

Approaching Droy, ignoring his irritated snort as Jet continued to dance around him, she hooked her foot into the stirrup and swung herself up into the saddle. She took a moment to appreciate the calm, the musty scent of her horse mixing with the leather and the earthy fragrance of the Wildlands. Moments like this were to be treasured. It was amazing really, she mused, that not even three weeks ago, she'd never ridden a horse much. Oh, there had been plenty of horses used around the camp where she'd grown up but — she shook off the thoughts. She didn't like to think about 'home' or her 'people'. It hurt too much. She'd made her choice, they'd made theirs and that was that.

"Jet, don't run off," she warned, resting a hand on her dagger and scanning the rise and fall of the yellowing grass around her.

Pulling out her sensor globe, she clicked it and felt the buzz of magic as the rune inside scanned for disturbances on the land. A vibration shot up her arm. Lifting the dark orb, she studied it. There was a gold blur in the darkness to her left. Treasure, or maybe there were some herbs. Both were craved by the Inquisition. At the beginning, supplies had been hard to find, but now with Cana and her advisors gaining respect and admiration with her firm but fair nature, they were accruing all sorts of resources and allies. She'd even taken Levy on as her Chief Field Researcher, much to the surprise of almost everyone. Despite what people claimed, elves, especially elves like Levy, still struggled to find their place in the world.

Droy danced beneath her and she sat up a little straighter, fingers tightening briefly on the reins as she set her feet in the stirrups and looked around. Something had spooked her horse. She glanced around for Jet and frowned. He'd gone rabbiting under a cluster of rocks to the East and now she couldn't see him. Stupid, stupid mutt.

Something prickled between her shoulder blades and Levy muttered a curse. Kicking out her feet, she slid off Droy and gave him a slap on his dark velvet flank. "Find somewhere safe," she ordered, knowing her horse was smart enough to seek shelter and if he did need to run away, well without her weight, he would stand a good chance.

With her heart beating a wild staccato against her ribs, Levy held her breath and pulled out her dagger and a smooth hexagonal shaped onyx that fit perfectly in her palm - yet another thing her Elven clan didn't agree with. She crept forward, the wild grass bending underfoot.

"Jet," she hissed.

Above a bird screeched as it flew under the fluffy clouds and something deep in the woods behind the hills bellowed, an agonised sound. She frantically tried to remember if Giants were native to the Wildlands but Mirajane and Elfman, only warned her about bears. She could outrun a bear, if she saw it coming in time. But now Jet was trying to get into a warren and goodness knows what he would awaken.

A sharp bark and she spotted Jet's dancing butt wiggling above the outcrop. Clenching her teeth, she darted across the ground, her feet carrying her swiftly to her canine partner. They, she, Droy and Jet, were a team. She'd even come up with a team name to make it seem more official when they were sent out on research quests, but Jet was becoming more of a hindrance than a help recently.

Brown eyes narrowed, Levy whistled sharply and snarled when Jet only sent her a passing glance before returning to burrowing into the hole. Lengthening her stride, she climbed up the slope, using the crevices in the rocks as natural footholds, and reached for Jet's collar, yanking him back with all her might just before he disappeared down the hole.

"You," she snapped, pulling Jet's face up close to her own, "are a rabbit menace. We have a duty. We need to find every last scrap of information scattered throughout the Wildlands so that we can decipher a way for Cana and the others to stop Zeref. You remember Zeref? He's that man that opened a huge hole in the sky and unleashed dragons into our world. You saw the city go up in flames, Jet, you were there, I rescued you, and now you put all of us in danger so that you can hunt rabbits?" She growled and set him down, stomping her foot. "Really, Jet, that's just selfish."

The dopey pup gave her hand a lavish lick and then he trotted down onto the path and gave a cheerful bark to let Droy know that all was well. Levy heaved a sigh and was dropping down to join him when the world shook hard. She stumbled and fell to her knees, vision blurring as the vibrations shot up her arms and through her body, causing her bones to rattle.

A shadow appeared over her and she slowly lifted her gaze, eyes widening. A grey craggy face, with narrow black eyes and thick horns protruding from its head, looked down at her over the outcrop of rocks. It must have been resting on the other side but Levy was at a loss as to what it was. It wasn't a giant, the horns were in the wrong place and it was bulkier and the skin had a grittier form. It looked sort of like a troll from those books she read but… they were supposed to be extinct. Then again, so were dragons and there were certainly enough of those in the world now.

"Oh, Mavis, save us," she whispered under her breath, as the creature tilted its head and focused on her.

Jet growled and the creature snapped its gaze to the dog, snarling back as it pushed itself up to its full height. No, no, no. Levy shot to her feet and grabbing Jet by his narrow waist — for the first time thrilled that despite the amount of food she snuck him, he was mostly a bag of bones — she began to run (lumber) to the hills. There were narrow paths there, too small for a troll to fit through and hopefully too steep for it to bother climbing. She was tiny, Jet was tiny, and with Droy running like the hounds of hell pursued him, they weren't a tempting morsel at all.

The ground jolted with each measured footstep as the creature rounded the rocks and Levy hefted Jet higher in her arms as he wiggled to get loose. Breath panting, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her and Jet. The pounding became steadier as the troll, or whatever it was, gained speed. She chanted a prayer to Mavis, promised all her worldly goods, bribed and begged, anything that could possibly save her and her animals.

She could feel it getting closer, could almost see its shadow looming over her as she tried to zigzag — though really she was weaving because the jostling was making it too hard to run in a straight line — in case the troll tried to reach for her. Maybe his eyesight would be terrible and they'd get a reprieve. Something swiped over her head and she ducked, shooting a frantic look over her shoulder.

Oh Mavis, it was right behind them.

It could stomp on them. Jet growled and his struggles became more vicious. If she let go, he'd try to fight and she couldn't let him try to take on something that was six times her height.

Flinging out her right hand, she threw the rune and prayed it would work. She kept running. The world flashed brightly, something sizzled and the air smelled like burnt rock, but she didn't dare look behind her. The vibrating stopped but Levy wouldn't look. If she looked, she'd jinx herself. When she was safe, that's when she'd — the pounding footsteps began again and she whimpered, tears springing to the corners of her eyes. She would die. Worse, Jet would die, and all because she'd befriended him outside her favourite little bookshop as the world burnt around them.

She couldn't outrun the troll, couldn't hide from it. There was nothing but land for the next furlong and a half, flat land with just a few patches of long grass that whipped past her legs as she ran.

"Levy!"

She glanced up to see a figure in the blue and white cloak of the Inquisition standing on a stone jutting out from the hilly verge.

"Keep running!"

Advice gratefully received, Levy thought, but she was going to do that anyway. The creature was almost upon her again but she felt hope now. Juvia was here and usually when Juvia was around — a loud roar to rival the troll's echoed through the craggy wall — Gajeel wouldn't be far behind. Levy grinned just as arrows whistled through the air. The troll fell back with a grunt but continued to chase her.

Pinpointing a narrow path that she could probably run up, Levy veered towards it just as Gajeel came barrelling over the crest. He slid down the sheer slope, both hands clenching his axe as he fixed his gaze on the troll behind her and grinned in that terrifying manner that was solely Gajeel. Levy's mouth went dry at the sight of him and once upon a time she might have claimed it to be a natural response to someone that frightened her, but now she wasn't quite sure.

"Shrimp, the hell did you wake up?"

"I don't know," she shouted back, tightening her hold on Jet, because her dog hated Gajeel and needed some damn priorities!

"Heh, stop shooting it with arrows Juvia, you're gonna weaken it!"

"Juvia believes that to be the point, boss," Juvia retorted wryly as she notched yet another arrow and let it fly.

Levy was very appreciative of Juvia's actions, after all, they were saving her. The troll had lost distance, enough that Levy could catch her breath as she tried to get her jelly legs to climb the narrow incline.

"Get up out of the way, Shrimp. This could get messy and take your damn dog with you. I might get confused on the battle field." He bared his teeth at Jet as he passed by, all shoulders and chest and spiked black hair. Levy's heart jolted into a different, yet equally fast beat, and her breath clogged in her lung. She paused to watch him stalk towards the troll and then, after a sharp warning glance from him, she scurried up the bray, allowing Juvia to take Jet.

"Droy is up above eating some grass near our camp. He was the reason we figured you were in danger," Juvia said, stroking Jet's head. "Come, let's find a good spot to watch the Boss. Or if you would like, the camp is just over the crest. You could have a sleep."

"Sleep?" Levy twisted her cloak. "What if he loses?"

Juvia blinked, then tapped a finger to her lips. "Well, that would not be fun. Do not worry, the Boss never loses against anything bigger than him. Small things," she said with a slow smirk in Levy's direction, "well they're a different matter entirely."

Deciding she didn't know what to make of that comment, Levy remained silent and, because her knees were like water, she sank down onto the flat-topped rock to watch Gajeel fight the troll, or to faint. Definitely one or the other.

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><p><em>TBC<em>

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><p>Honestly, I don't know where this is going but I really had to write it. It's been plaguing me for weeks, every time I play the game, I can just see Levy going around cutting herbs off cliff faces and searching through abandoned camps for scrolls, being ridiculously thrilled when she finds mentions of Zeref while Gajeel just shrugs and tosses it into his backpack. I can see so many overlaps between the game and how I can use certain characters, but I don't know if I want to take on something of that magnitude so this will probably be left to small moments between Gajeel and Levy in the background of an epic mission to save the world as such.<p>

Any comments would be greatly appreciated. I kind of think they're all wildly out of character but I had fun writing this.


	2. Fight

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fairy Tail. I don't own Dragon Age: Inquisition.

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><p><strong>A.N. <strong>Okay before you start, I had to rejig a few things in the last chapter, nothing major. I just changed the Inquisitor's role from Lucy to Cana, so Cana is the Inquisitor now. It made more sense for me since the Inquisitor is a character who was blessed by a goddess figure and gained a power within their hand that helped them seal rifts/tears in the veil between one world and another. In Fairy Tail, Cana was blessed by Mavis and given a great power that came from her hand. There's my thought process. So I went back and changed that. Lucy's still important because Lucy and Levy are my BroTP.

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><p><strong><span>Fight<span>**

The troll swung out with a meaty fist and Gajeel danced back with a wild laugh, twirling his axe as he sought an opening. Another swing and Gajeel ducked under it, darting it to slice at the back of the troll's knees. He seemed to be happily in his element, slipping out of the troll's reach, landing blow upon blow upon the creature. Each time a fist struck the ground, Gajeel would be somewhere else, lashing out with his axe and adding a new wound to the troll's craggy skin, now spilling and splashing dark blood across the flattened grass. It roared, wounded and angry, and Gajeel roared back, triumphant and fierce.

Levy shivered and curled her fingers through Jet's coarse hair as he rested his muzzle against her leg, a comforting weight. He lifted his gaze to hers and huffed out a bored sigh. To be expected, it wasn't like Jet had any affection for Gajeel. For some baffling reason her dog saw him as a threat – even Droy had tried to take a bite out of Gajeel once, which was surprising considering Droy was quite a mellow pony. She supposed Gajeel just brought out that attitude in every male he encountered, including animals.

She scratched Jet's neck and glanced at her companion as they sat up on the bluff watching the battle, with the dried grass blowing gently in the warm breeze, carrying with it the heady scents of moss and wild flowers. It tugged at Levy's hair and flapped at the hem of her navy tunic.

"You don't seem very concerned about Gajeel," she noted as she braced her vellum scroll on her lap and turned her attention to the details upon it but the words blurred in and out, swimming through her head.

_Zeref… appeared from nowhere… Explosion... King Makarov's death… Cana Alberona… The spirit world… Inquisitor… The rift. _

Juvia shrugged elegantly, loose strands of blue hair — shades darker than Levi's and straighter — falling from her ponytail to frame her pretty face as she leaned forward, gaze intent on the battle. "Juvia learnt long ago that worrying about the boss just leads to stomach aches. Boss will fight what the boss wants to fight. Juvia stays on hand to treat wounds and shoot lesser creatures with her arrows."

"Rocky faced freak! Come down here and I'll take your horns."

The troll swiped for Gajeel but he darted out of the way, moving like a blur, sliding behind the troll and slicing out, cutting the back of its leg. Dark blood splashed over Gajeel but he only grinned, a little more manically than before.

"He really enjoys fighting, doesn't he? That's why he joined the Inquisition, isn't it?" Levy knew he didn't join it for the same noble reasons as Erza, Natsu or Lucy. They had joined because they wanted to help seal up the hole in the sky, a tear in the veil between the Spirit Realm and Earthland, and destroy Zeref, the creator of the rift. In fact, it was Erza and Mirajane who began the Inquisition shortly before King Makarov's death in the explosion that destroyed the council of Magic, to seek a way to destroy Zeref, a rogue mage with dark power and a love of chaos. The explosion created a rift in the sky and then dragons had appeared from it, and suddenly the Inquisition's mission changed and with it Cana's role became more prominent. She went from a suspect in the death of Makarov, to the Chosen One of Mavis, the saviour of Earthland.

Juvia pursed her lips. "Yes. That was a big part of the reason we joined but we do want to help save the world from Zeref too. After all, Earthland is our home, and my town was destroyed when the Dragons attacked."

"Then why are you and Gajeel out here instead of with Cana? If I were the Inquisitor, I'd take Gajeel on all my missions." It was only when the words hung in the air between them that Levy realised what she'd said. Heat rushed up her neck and she looked down at her fingers, avoiding Juvia's shrewd gaze. "I mean, he's strong and it's good to have a skilled fighter."

"The Boss hasn't made up his mind yet, on whether we're staying with the Inquisition or not."

Not staying with the Inquisition? Her stomach clenched. But why would they leave? Zeref needed to be destroyed and Cana needed all the allies she could get. Levy frowned as she watched Gajeel produce a chain — from where she knew not — and used it to wrap around the troll's neck, chuckling merrily. "Does Cana know that he may just leave?"

Tucking a strand behind her ear, Juvia nodded. "The Boss told the Inquisitor straight up. Juvia isn't saying that he's right but Juvia doesn't know if he's wrong either. We all heard the rumours: that King Makarov was killed in an explosion during talks about defeating Zeref, and that the only survivor was some girl who stepped out of the Spirit World at the exact spot where the explosion took place, and that she was saved and marked by Mavis, blessed with the power to seal up the rifts in the realm created by Zeref and his demons. But to us, they were rumours. The Boss and Juvia were on the other side of Bosco when the news came of the Inquisition. We heard they planned to unite the people of Earthland and would destroy Zeref.

"The idea sounded good," she mused, then sent Levy a grim smile, "but sometimes when nobles get involved with their greed and their lust for power, things can become corrupted. The Boss said that Juvia and he would offer to help the Inquisition as mercenaries and if we didn't like it, we could go back to doing what we do best. But Juvia would like to stay. Juvia likes the Inquisition."

Maybe so, but Juvia liked Knight Enchanter Gray Fullbuster more, Levy mused, drawing her knees to her chest and pulling her cloak around her body like a small tent to ward off the sudden chill. "Does everyone think the Inquisition is corrupted?"

Levy couldn't imagine how anyone could. Cana was honest, blunt too but that was something Freed was working on, and Lucy, the spirit mage, was kind hearted and stubbornly loyal, determined to save the world. Natsu, the flame Dragon Slayer, while overzealous and uncontrolled, would fight to the death for the people of Earthland, especially for the Inquisition. He called them his Nakama. Erza was their bringer of truth and justice; she had fought against the warped belief of her sect of the Templars and sought a way for everyone to live in harmony while maintaining order. She was nigh incorruptible. And the others…

Well maybe Levy was being naïve but she just couldn't see any corruption within the Inquisition, and in a world where every order in Fiore had buckled under the burden of power, the Inquisition was a beacon of hope and safety. Levy refused to let that beacon die.

"No. The Boss likes Cana, says she has 'big brass ones' and won't let anyone control her, but he's still watching the others. I know you trust them, Levy, and you should trust your gut because that will keep you safe. Until the Boss makes his decision, he and Juvia shall help the Inquisition by dispatching any dangers they can."

At least that was something, Levy decided, but the idea that at any moment she could walk into the Inquisition's Headquarters and not see Gajeel stomping around, goading the soldiers into fighting him by calling them weak… well it left an ache in her chest that she really didn't want to think about. Better she just continue on her way and get some distance.

Juvia huffed out a breath and rose to her feet. "Ah, he's almost finished playing now. Come, you will not want to see this next part. The Boss can get a little messy."

Down on the ground, Gajeel stepped back and wiped his forearm over his brow, hefting his axe and grinning - or grimacing, it was kind of hard to tell from a distance — at the now kneeling troll. The back of the beast's knees had been shredded, as had the joints around the shoulders so that the arms were no longer a threat. Blood dotted Gajeel's face and dripped from his chin, covering his black shirt and staining his bare arms, though Levy wasn't sure how much came from the troll and how much came from Gajeel.

As he lifted the axe, Levy scrambled to her feet and followed Juvia away from Gajeel and towards the camp, snapping her fingers to grab Jet's attention.

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><p><em>TBC<em>

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><p>Just a bit of backstory. I hope it wasn't too boring. More Gajevy interactions in the next chapter. Any questions, feel free to ask. I'm trying to bring in information naturally, but I also might forget what I know and what the readers don't. So please don't hesitate to ask a question if you're confused.<p>

Also any mistakes are mine, so if you see something, let me know.


	3. Dine

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Fairy Tail or Dragon Age: Inquisitions.

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><p><strong><span>Dine<span>**

The raven flared its wings, beak stabbing the air as it cawed, puffed out its chest, and shuffled along the gnarled branch. Levy eyed it warily and fingered the note in her hand. She needed to let Mirajane, and the Inquisition, know about the creature they'd found in the Wild Lands – Levy had even included a hastily drawn sketch (though art was not her forte) and a rough description of the area – but the raven messengers that the Spymistress insisted on using could be temperamental.

Above them the sky was darkening, the silver clouds swirling as a gentle breeze kicked up from the small lough that bordered the camp's east side. The sun was setting in the west, casting long, gangly shadows from the slender silver fraxinus trees that grew between the rocky boulders.

"Juvia does not like those birds."

Levy glanced over to where Juvia knelt by the fire in the middle of the camp, blowing on the kindling, causing the embers to glow brightly as a small flame began to lick tentatively at the dry grass and twigs.

As Levy's fingers tingled in anticipation of the pain the bird would likely inflict with its obnoxious pecking, she was in complete accord with Juvia's sentiment. "They… serve a purpose."

Rising, Juvia brushed her hands down over her black cotton breeches, and stepped past the fire to grab a bucket. "Oh they're clever but Juvia thinks they're terrifying and mean. Very mean spirited birds."

"I have to send this message to Mirajane," she told the bird as much as she told Juvia, who headed to the lough to get water, "so we have to put our differences aside."

She tentatively reached for the bird's leg only to jerk it back when the bird stabbed at it. All right, no. She was not going to be bullied by a bird. The bird preened and shook itself, let loose a few more barking caws before it finally settled enough for Levy to firmly lift it and attach her note to the iron ring around its foot.

Releasing it, she shifted back and allowed it to fly off, watching as it merged seamlessly with a flock of black birds, becoming impossible to identify – much like its master, Levy supposed. Mirajane's birds were as scarily well trained as her scouts.

She pulled her map out from her satchel. If the creature Gajeel fought was from the Spirit Realm, then it either escaped a rift closure or there was an open rift nearby. But her map was empty of the rift symbols – until Cana and her party were kitted out properly, some rifts (portals if you will to the Spirit world) had to be avoided. Those rifts were always marked on the map so that any traveller for the Inquisition could bypass the danger safely.

Biting her lip, Levy finally scribbled an 'x' onto her map and, rolling it up, she slipped it back into the satchel beside her bag of runes and her spyglass. She'd have to get going soon too, if she wanted to reach the Inquisition camp before nightfall.

Something tickled the back of her hand and she hissed, swiping at the green beetle that had used it as a landing pad. It flew off and she rubbed the strange ticklish sensation away, wondering if it was the bug or the scar that caused it.

"Did the bird scratch you?" Juvia called out as she knelt down to secure the pot of water over the fire.

"Hmm? Oh, no, it didn't hurt me at all. Actually, I rather think that was a success."

"Juvia agrees."

With a faint smile, Levy clasped her hands behind her back and looked around the sparse camp. There were no tents, just two neat bedrolls at opposite ends, both with the cliff walls on one side, angled towards the opening. It was nothing like the busy Inquisition camps, no tents or desks set up for missions, nor were there any guards, scouts or caged ravens for messages. And there were no sacks of herbs or salves. It was sparse and yet it suited Gajeel and Juvia perfectly. Levy liked it. It was peaceful and safe.

By the water that gently lapped at the shore, Droy cheerfully munched on a lush patch of grass, tail swishing, while Jet sniffed around the camp and – "JET!"

Dropping his hind leg, Jet sent her a petulant look and scampered off to the water to urinate, instead of on, what Levy assumed, was Gajeel's bedroll.

"Phew. Jet really doesn't like the Boss, does he?"

Levy pouted and slumped onto one of the rocks ringing the fire – not too close though – dropping her chin into her palm. "I thought Gajeel scared him but now I think Jet needs a class in manners. I'll try talking to Elfman about it. I know he specialises in horses, but maybe he knows something about dogs too."

"Juvia would imagine so," Juvia mused, taking a seat on the other side of the fire and began to shred strips of some root vegetables, dropping it into the pot before adding herbs and allowing the stew to bubble.

Somewhere in the trees, a bird trilled and a branch cracked – further still something howled. Levy shivered and rubbed her arms, and as if sensing her discomfort, Jet came over and flopped upon her lap, huffing out a sigh. She smiled and scratched the top of his head, wondering if she had any spare snacks for them both. They deserved a treat after their incident – though maybe half a treat for Jet. His wriggling hadn't helped her when she ran away. If Gajeel and Juvia hadn't been in the vicinity, well she wouldn't allow herself to think of the outcome.

"Juvia, why are you two here?"

"Hmm? Oh. The Boss suspects there's a dragon nearby. Says he's heard some rumours – you know how people like to talk in taverns – and the farmers were claiming that their stock is disappearing. There's no evidence of bears or wolves or even men stealing them for food. They're just there one minute, gone the next. So the Boss thinks it's a dragon."

Levy frowned, twisting Jet's coarse fur through her fingers. "But I thought Zeref controlled all the dragons."

Juvia shook her head, eyes thoughtful as she stirred the food, sending fragrant steam into the air. "Not all of them, just a certain kind. The Boss says this one is more like a wyvern and that it's probably nesting somewhere close to the farmers but not too close. And since the Inquisition is busy with other things, it only makes sense that we hunt them down, take on that little task."

That made sense. The Inquisition was moving through the land, ousting the bandits and closing the rifts and trying to form alliances. Cana didn't have time for detours and side quests, though Levy knew from the rumour mill around the Heartfilia Manor, which had become the new Headquarters, that Cana often did deviate from the set path to lend aide where she could.

Whatever Levy planned to say died on her tongue as Gajeel crested the hill, boots strung over his shoulder, a trio of dead nugs in his fist, and – oh… His hair was damp and pushed back from his sharply chiselled face, and his shirt fell open over his equally damp, quite defined chest, the drops of water trickling down his abs to the dusting of hair that disappeared…

Levy breathed in sharply and felt a liquid heat settle in her stomach. She forced her gaze to the ground, and then jolted when something landed in front of her with a squelch – something grisly and hairy and covered in blood. Her stomach pitched for a different reason and she aimed a murderous look at the dark haired man.

"Boss!" Juvia snapped.

"Hair, meat and bone," Gajeel said with a shrug, stalking over to his saddle pack to pull out a dry shirt. Jet growled at him. "Cana said that girl, Lisanna or something, needs stuff like this to help her identify weaknesses, right? To help the forces of the Inquisition defend and equip themselves better, so here you go."

Juvia groaned and grabbed for an empty sack, scurrying over to help Levy put the meat and stuff inside. "Boss, your methods need work."

Immediately Jet came over to investigate and that was something Levy did not need — to spend an hour cleaning blood and gunk off her dog. She shoved his face away and helped Juvia tie the sack tightly, wrinkling her nose at the strong stench of copper and decay.

"Right." Gajeel dried his face with his old shirt and then briskly rubbed down his chest and stomach before casting the shirt onto a rock and shrugging on the new one. "Is the grub ready? You staying for food, Shrimp? You might as well, can't have you going off and getting eaten by something else."

Levy's expression darkened, her shoulders tightening as fury bubbled — never mind the fact he'd ruined her appetite but then he had the nerve to insinuate she was weak. How absolutely obnoxious! "I can take care of myself."

She had Jet, Droy, her daggers and her runes. She was especially proud of her runes, even if it had been a point of contention between her clan and herself. Elves did not use such things. Runes and enchantments were dwarfish creations, false magic.

"Ha." He laughed loudly, from the belly up but then he sobered, hands on his hips. "Oh, you weren't joking."

Juvia sighed, dropping her head to her knees but Levy couldn't comfort her, not now. Now she was angry with Gajeel. She stood up to her full height, which when compared to Gajeel wasn't much and suddenly she felt much smaller. Jet showed his teeth and tried to step around her but she trapped his head between her knees so he couldn't get to Gajeel. She was annoyed at the Dragon Slayer but she didn't want Jet to hurt him.

"You shouldn't have dropped it on me. It was a surprise."

Gajeel rubbed the back of his neck and jerked a shoulder, eyes averting to the side as his mouth twitched in some semblance of a grimace. "Right. Sorry about that, Shrimp."

Shrimp, Shrimp, Shrimp. She was not a child. "The reason that I am out here looking for information is because Mirajane and Freed both agree that I am more than capable of protecting myself."

"Sure, but," — he folded his arms — "we don't know what's out there now. Could be another one of those things. You barely outran that one."

Juvia jolted to her feet. "Levy, please, join us for some food and perhaps you could camp with us. Just for tonight and then you can go on your way. Juvia has made more than enough food. Perhaps you could tell Juvia about your task. Juvia is most interested."

Levy frowned, her foot digging into the ground as Jet trailed over to Juvia and gave Gajeel a suspicious look before he conned a piece of meat from Juvia's proffered fingers.

"Well, I guess I could share your meal. Thank you." Not that she had a choice. Juvia was trying to be nice and Levy couldn't throw the gesture back at her. Even if Gajeel was being a big stupid _thing_.

"Boss, go deal with those rabbit things you brought while I serve the food. And then can we treat your head?"

Levy snorted, then catching Juvia's expression, realised it wasn't a dig at his stubbornness. She glanced sharply at Gajeel, scanning him for injury but she saw no blood, not even the hint of swelling or bruising from his battle with the creature. "What happened to his head?"

Gajeel grumbled something under his breath and stalked off. "Juvia, y've got a big fucking mouth."

Juvia motioned for Levy to fetch the wooden bowls and then taking one, she began to fill it with steaming stew. "We had a run in with a bear shortly before we set up camp. We were hunting some ram and so was the bear. Gajeel took a paw to the head but, apart from letting me ascertain that he did not have a concussion, he refused to let me put a poultice on it."

"Only because you're the worst fucking nurse I've ever come across. You're too damn rough, Juvia."

"Juvia needs to be rough with the boss because you do not listen to Juvia when Juvia is always correct." Her voice rose as she shouted over his grumbling.

Covering her smile, Levy accepted the bowl of stew Juvia handed her, and sat down on her rock once more, breathing in the lovely warmth and goodness of wholesome cooking – trying to stir up her hunger again. "So Gajeel has a bump to the head?"

"The Boss is always getting injured in some way."

"Not this time." Smug, Gajeel dropped onto the rock across the fire from Levy and cradled his bowl of stew in his large palm, scooping up a spoonful and shoving it into his mouth. Levy averted her eyes from his lips, heat stinging her cheeks. What was _wrong_ with her?

"Mm good. I fought that creature and he didn't even get one hit past me."

Juvia raised a brow, obviously impressed. "Oh Boss! There is a first time for everything." She chuckled; then slid a sly look in Levy's direction. "Juvia thinks maybe Levy is your good luck charm."

Levy smiled and ducked her head to hide her blush — because no, she was no good luck charm. There were too many people who could attest to that, most especially Hibiki and Porlyusica. No, a good luck charm and her had little in common.

But even distracted by her morose thoughts and memories, she still heard Gajeel softly murmur, "You could be right."

And Mavis help her, but she, too, wanted to believe Juvia could be right.

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><p><em>TBC<em>

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><p>Oh wow guys the amount of follows for this story was amazing! Thank you so much. I'm really trying to blend all these elements and failing miserably to keep them in character, but I hope you enjoyed this! Also big thanks to MakeItHayle and Maya for the reviews last chapter. Credit also to<strong> cheshireSorrows<strong> for the help with the summary - meant to say that last chapter and forgot in my rush.


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